Beauty and Crime
by billie.bennett11
Summary: In the 1920's, Neptune Vasilias is a closet pianist who dreams of excitement. When he meets a beautiful jazz singer at a party, he gets drawn into a life of nothing he ever expected; music, crime, liquor, and love.
1. Chapter 1

The year was 1928. It was an extravagant party, but then, Weiss Schnee's parties always were. Neptune and Sun were perched at the bar, liquor in hand, feet tapping to the yellow cocktail music. Sun had one arm draped around a pretty little sheba with a purple bow sitting just so on her jet-black bob. A high, gentle voice spoke from beside him.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Neptune?" The hostess herself, Weiss Schnee, batted long eyelashes at him under her white bangs.

"I think I would enjoy it a little more if I could actually dance," he muttered in reply.

She sniffed. "Not my fault you're a dead hoofer."

"Not mine either, girly. I was born an awkward partner. Nothing I can do."

A small sigh escaped the hostess' thin lips. "You, Neptune Vasilias, are impossible."

He clicked his tongue and winked at the woman. "Exactly."

"Well, since you can't be bothered to carry on normal conversation, I'm leaving. Make yourself comfortable at the bar."

"Already have," he murmured as she strut away.

As Sun and his date headed off to the dance floor, a voice announced a singer with a complicated name that Neptune was too ossified to remember.

The woman's voice carried across the room before Neptune's eyes made their way to its source. The voice was low, husky, and downright copacetic. "Di mi," Neptune whispered. The woman was quite the choice bit of calico. Golden hair curled under her chin in a perfect bob. Her full lips gleamed blood-red, her long lashes barely hiding dramatic lavender eyes. A white and gold dress hugged her curvaceous figure so wonderfully it should have been illegal.

"Bartender," Neptune demanded, "Who on God's earth is that?"

The bartender only laughed. "Don't even bother, fella. That woman's a bearcat if ever I met one. The real McCoy. You get stuck on her, and you'll only get burned."

_I was named after a god of water, _Neptune thought as he strode over to the makeshift stage, _I can handle a little fire._

The golden woman finished her first song and moved into another. Her voice switched between a higher, breath-filled tone and a lower, richer sound, each note hit perfectly as she sang. Her jeweled hands brushed past the faces of lusting men as she glided to the end of the stage.

_Now you say you're lonely, you cried the whole night through_

_Well, you can cry me a river, cry me a river_

_I cried a river over you_

_Now you say you're sorry for being so untrue_

_Well you can cry me a river, cry me a river_

_I cried a river over you_

_You drove me nearly out of my head_

_While you never shed a tear_

_Remember? I remember all that you said_

_Told me love was too plebeian, told me you were through with me_

_And now you say you love me_

_Well just to prove you do_

_Come on and cry me a river, cry me a river_

_I cried a river over you_

_I cried a river over you_

_I cried a river_

At this point, she was perched just at the edge of the stage, her perfect white legs hanging over the side. She was face-to-face with Neptune, and she swept her long fingers under his chin, bringing his face closer to hers as the last words escaped her mouth.

_Over… you…_

Even her breath was mesmerizing; it smelled just barely of mint and vanilla. She slowly stood back up and traveled behind the stage, the crowd silent for once, the men hopeless and the women jealous.

Another group came up and played, but Neptune knew that everyone's thoughts were still on the lady of gold. With a sudden need to play some jazz himself, he sought out Weiss and inquired if she owned a piano.

"It's upstairs. Second room on the right."

His footsteps thumped up the staircase as the party mulled on below. The piano he found was an upright, glossy black with keys of cream-colored ivory. For a second, he breathed in the beauty of such an instrument. His piano at home was rather shoddy; only rarely did he get to play on one so elegant. His fingers danced over the keys, constructing the beginning to his absolute favorite jazz tune. His feet tapped quickly to the beat, making music without words. That is, until the vocal part of the song came and a rich, low voice sang along with his playing.

_It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing…_

A shock bolted through his body as he whipped around to find the beautiful blonde singer standing in the doorway.

"You going to keep playing or not?" She demanded, one eyebrow arched high.

He could only mumble out a "Sorry" before he started the song over again.

_It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing_

_Doo wop doo wop doo wop doo wop doo wop doo wop doo wop doo wop_

_It don't mean a thing, all you got to do is sing_

_Doo wop doo wop doo wop doo wop doo wop doo wop doo wop doo wop_

_Doesn't matter if it's sweet or hot_

_Just give that rhythm everything you've got_

The woman sang and scatted her way through the rest of the song, even permitting Neptune to sing during the male parts of the duet. The majority of the song was just scat and nonsense, but he was impressed with how quickly she was able to think up the wonderful gibberish. His fingers rested gently on the ivories as the tune finished.

"Well, well. Do you have a name, Piano Man?"

He smiled and rested one arm on the doorframe above her head. "It's nowhere near as important as yours," he murmured, leaning in.

With an eye roll and a purse of her crimson lips, the woman replied. "That was a stupid line."

"Stupid lines are my specialty." He backed away and held out his tanned palm. "I'm Neptune Vasilias."

"Yang Xiao Long," she said, giving a small shake to his hand.

"That's complicated."

"It's three syllables. I beg to differ."

"I'm burning with a blue flame, little lady, any name is complicated right now."

A sigh slipped through her full lips. "You men and your liquor."

"Please," Neptune huffed, "Like you haven't had any on this fine night."

"I have. But at least I'm not roaring drunk."

"Roaring drunk is the best kind of drunk to be, Miss Yang Xiao Long."

She chuckled and started out of the room. "Whatever you say."

"Hold on a moment." His hand clasped around her wrist, pulling her against the doorframe again. He leaned down, staring deep into her eyes, dangerously close to those perfect lips of hers. "Cash or check?"

"Check," she grinned at him.

"Until when?"

"I have two conditions. One, you've gotta be sober. Two, you play a set with me."

"I don't play in public," he whispered.

"Too bad, then." With that, she ducked under his arm and strolled back down to the party, leaving Neptune alone to curse his luck.

**Cash or check**\- should we kiss now, or wait until later

**Burning with a blue flame**\- drunk

**Scat**\- a kind of jazz singing that is just random nonsense

**The real McCoy**\- the real deal

**Bearcat**\- a lively, spirited woman, possibly with a fiery streak

**Choice bit of calico**\- a desirable woman

"**Di mi"**\- "Holy shit"

**Copacetic**\- awesome

**Ossified**\- drunk

**Dead hoofer**\- someone who can't dance

**Sheba**\- a young sexy flapper or lady


	2. Chapter 2

A shock of cold ran through Neptune's body as he dove his head into one of Weiss Schnee's sinks. He wasn't so stupid as to walk home drunk, especially not in this town. He dragged his hands through his sopping hair, thanking whatever god was out there that his edge was gone.

Suddenly, a shrill scream erupted from a room down the hall, piercing through the whole house. Neptune knew that voice. It was the hostess herself. He slipped his gun out of his pocket and silently made his way to the room where Miss Schnee's yell came from.

A couple of mobsters were at the window, their pistols held tight against the dame's head.

"Don't move," they snarled, "or the little jane gets it."

One of them noticed the gun in Neptune's hand. His eyes narrowed through his scarlet sunglasses. "Looks like Ol' Ozpin's getting some new recruits. Junior's gonna want to know this," he hissed.

"Who the hell is Ozpin?" Neptune growled in reply.

The goons only chuckled and climbed out of the window, dragging Weiss Schnee with them. A low voice spoke from behind Neptune.

"So Torchwick's dragged Junior into this, has he." It wasn't a question. Neptune whipped around to find the voice's source.

"...Xiao Long?"

"We move now," she muttered, "or we lose them." With a leap, she followed the mobsters out of the window.

"What?!" He peered out the window, finding a shifty rope ladder tied to the ledge. With a thud, he landed on the alley next to the woman. "What the hell is going on here? And why do you have a gun?!"

"Pipe down, you sap," she growled. "Save the inquisition for later."

_A bearcat indeed, _Neptune thought.

"Here's the deal. They think there's only one of us. So you face 'em up front, and I'll take 'em out from behind."

"And how are you gonna get-" but she was gone. Neptune continued straight on through the thick darkness of the night, until he heard the shrill voice of Weiss Schnee.

"Listen here, you bimbos," she shouted. "I cannot be bothered to be kidnapped right now. I have a party to hostess."

"You Dumb Dora," one of the gangsters snarled, "We don't-"

"Dumb Dora! I beg your pardon! Contrary to popular belief, I am not stupid! I know exactly why you're kidnapping me. But you won't get any ransom from my father. He couldn't care less about me."

There was a heavy moment of silence before one of the men spoke. "Then we have no need to keep you alive."

There was a click as the man cocked his pistol. "Prepare to die, little lady."

"Yeah," Neptune said, stepping out of the shadows, "I don't think so." Without another word, he shot the man holding Weiss Schnee in his knee. He buckled and crashed to the ground. A bullet from behind flew through the side of the second man. As he also fell, Yang Xiao Long extended a hand to Miss Schnee.

"Get back to your party," she smiled. "Your guests must be in tears without their wonderful hostess." Weiss grinned at the golden woman and rushed off in the direction of her mansion. "And _you_," she snarled at the thugs. "You two tell Junior to pass along a message to Torchwick or else."

The man who she had shot looked up at her in disgust. "You're her, aren't you? You're Blondie."

"The one and only. Now make sure Junior tells Torchwick for me. Tell him Ozpin's recruiting. Tell him he can't get to us. You make sure he knows that. Now get out of my sight."

The gangsters hobbled away, leaking blood and spirit with every step.

"Who in god's name is this Ozpin, Yang Xiao Long?"

"You'll meet him very soon, I expect. But you can't tell anyone about what happened tonight. Not even Wukong."

"How do you know-" Neptune was interrupted by the woman delivering a sharp uppercut to his jaw. He stumbled to the ground, his vision starting to fade black. _How did one punch_… he thought, _From a dame, no less…_

"Sorry, sheik," she whispered. "But I can't have you following me, either."

**sheik- **a handsome man

**Dumb Dora- **a stupid girl

**bimbos- **tough guys

**sap- **fool

**pipe down- **shut up

**jane- **girl

**edge- **drunkenness


End file.
